Ichiro says he ‘felt desperate’ last season

It’s no stretch to say Ichiro Suzuki had a disappointing season with the Mariners last year. The 38-year-old struggled at the plate, hitting just .272 – bad, for Ichiro – and watching his decade-long 200-hit streak come to an end.

M’s fans wondered whether Ichiro’s days of stardom were over.

Ichiro himself, it turns out, felt a lot of “mental stress” as well.

“I felt desperate last season,” he told the Nikkan Sports newspaper, according to Reuters. “That doesn’t happen to me very often. Mental stress is a lot worse than physical stress.”

His 184 hits last season was a career low. He missed out on the All-Star Game. He was overlooked for an 11th Gold Glove.

“Sometimes I feel I’m getting older, or more sensitive to what they say on TV,” Ichiro said.